Dr Ben Spencer is the Conservative MP for Runnymede and Weybridge, having first been elected to parliament at the 2019 general election.

In the 2024 general election, Spencer received 18,442 votes, representing 38.2% of the vote share. The Liberal Democrat candidate, Ellen Nicholson, received 10,815 votes (22.4%), while the Labour candidate, Robert King, secured 9,963 votes (20.6%). Spencer was duly re-elected with a majority of 7,627 votes.

The Runnymede and Weybridge constituency is located in north-west Surrey and includes the towns of Weybridge, Addlestone, Chertsey, and parts of the Runnymede borough. It contains Royal Holloway, University of London, and Brooklands College, contributing to a significant student population. It is generally considered an affluent suburban area.

The seat has been held by the Conservative Party since its creation in 1997 and is regarded as safe Conservative territory. Spencer succeeded the former chancellor of the exchequer, Philip Hammond, who had represented the seat from 1997 to 2019.

Political Career

Spencer currently serves as shadow minister for artificial intelligence. Spencer was appointed to this role as part of the August/September 2026 shadow ministerial reshuffle, Kemi Badenoch’s second as Conservative leader.

Spencer served as shadow minister of state for science, innovation and technology from November 2024 to September 2026. He previously served as shadow minister for health and social care from July 2024 to November 2024 on the interim/caretaker frontbench constructed by Rishi Sunak after the general election of that year.

Prior to the 2024 general election, which saw the Conservatives ejected from government, Spencer was a deputy chairman of the Conservative Party (November 2023 – July 2024).

Spencer was appointed as parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to the Conservative Party chairman and minister without portfolio Jake Berry in October 2022.

Berry responded: “I am delighted that [Spencer] is joining [CCHQ] as my parliamentary private secretary. Looking forward to working with him!”

In July 2022, Spencer publicly called on Boris Johnson to resign as prime minister.

In an open letter, Spencer wrote: “It is with anger and regret that | write again regarding events that have occurred in Westminster.

“The appointment of a person [Chris Pincher] to a senior position in government, a role which included safeguarding the welfare of others, when there existed allegations of sexual misconduct and previously upheld complaints about his behaviour, is simply inexcusable.

“In response we have seen obfuscation and deflection around the facts surrounding his appointment, depressingly similar to that seen in response to the ‘Partygate’ scandal.

“We rightly expect the highest standards in government, and leadership means taking responsibility for one’s actions.

“The prime minister should resign.”

Spencer was a member of the House of Commons work and pensions select committee from 2020 to 2024

Spencer is listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) for Nordic countries, park homes and the Republic of Korea.

Spencer delivered his maiden speech on 26 February 2020.

In it, he said: “There are many parts of the constituency that I would celebrate today if I had more time, but what makes Runnymede and Weybridge great are the people and our warm and vibrant communities – from the famous, such as the Wentworth estate, where the PGA tour takes place, to the not-so-famous, such as the Englefield Green Social Hall, where the Christmas performance of the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ pantomime was the highlight of my election campaign.”

He added: “We need a strong safety net of welfare and public services, such as our NHS, which I am proud to have worked in for over 10 years, and which my wife continues to work in.

“Our public services need effective management, leadership and funding, paid for by a flourishing economy and led by a strong Conservative government. All this is why I am a Conservative and why I am here today.”

Spencer unsuccessfully contested the Camberwell and Peckham constituency at the 2017 general election.

Political Views

Leadership elections and loyalty

Tory leadership 2024: Spencer supported Kemi Badenoch’s candidacy in the 2024 Conservative Party leadership election. The contest was triggered by the resignation of Rishi Sunak following the party’s defeat in the 2024 general election.

Badenoch, the then-shadow housing secretary, was seen as a leading figure on the party’s right wing. After finishing first in the final parliamentary ballot with 42 votes, she defeated Robert Jenrick in the membership vote with 53,806 votes (56.5%). Badenoch was declared Conservative leader on 2 November.

Tory leadership 2022 (I): Spencer supported Tom Tugendhat’s candidacy in the Conservative Party’s July-September 2022 leadership election. The contest was triggered by the resignation of Boris Johnson, following the mass exodus of more than 60 frontbenchers.

Tugendhat, the chair of the foreign affairs select committee and a former soldier, was seen as the leading candidate on the party’s one nation wing. He was eliminated in the third parliamentary ballot on 18 July after receiving 31 votes.

Factional identity and party tradition

Conservative Environment Network: Spencer is listed as a member of the Conservative Environment Network (CEN) parliamentary caucus. CEN is an independent forum for conservatives that supports conservation and decarbonisation. It calls for the environment to be given a higher profile at the heart of policy making, describing “biodiversity loss, climate change, and wasteful resource use are threats to our national security”, and promotes “market-based policies” to environmental challenges. Members of its parliamentary caucus, such as …, are thought to generally align with the group’s “green” message and environmentalism.

Covid Recovery Group: Spencer was a member of the Covid Recovery Group (CRG) steering committee. The CRG was a faction of Conservative MPs formed in November 2020 to scrutinise the government’s strategy for managing the Covid-19 pandemic. Chaired by the former chief whip Mark Harper, the group was highly critical of the use of national lockdowns. Its support was aligned with the libertarian and economically liberal wings of the Conservative Party.

Brexit and Europe

Customs union vote (2025): In December 2025, Spencer voted against the UK-EU Customs Union (Duty to Negotiate) Bill. The bill, introduced under the ten-minute rule procedure by Liberal Democrat Europe spokesperson Al Pinkerton, sought to mandate the government to enter into negotiations with the European Union to establish a bespoke customs union.

Assisted dying

Spencer voted against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, better known as the assisted dying bill, at both second reading (November 2024) and third reading (June 2025).

Social values and conscience issues

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): Spencer voted against a backbench amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill that sought to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales in June 2025. The amendment, which was passed by a majority of 242 votes, removed women from the threat of prosecution for ending a pregnancy at any stage. As an issue of conscience, MPs were allowed to vote according to their personal beliefs.

Civil liberties

Covid passes vote (2021): Spencer was one of 99 Conservative MPs to vote against Covid passes in England in December 2021.

Before Politics

Born Benjamin Walter Jack Spencer in Liverpool on 11 December 1981, he attended a state grammar school in the West Midlands.

Spencer holds a master’s degree in mental health law and a PhD focused on decision-making capacity.  

Before entering parliament, Spencer worked for 10 years as an NHS doctor.

Personal Life

Spencer is married and has two children.  

Trivia

After his election in 2019, Spencer continued to undertake some locum work as a psychiatrist.